Jacob, whom GOD later renamed Israel, had 12 children. These 12 children and their descendants became known as the 12 Tribes of Israel.
When Jacob was preparing to die, he called his sons to him. To Judah, his forth son, he said, "Judah is a young lion: who shall rouse him up?" Judah and his tribe were strong in character, in faith and in loyalty. Judah was willing to be responsible for the welfare of his younger brother Benjamin when they went to Egypt.
Caleb, of the tribe of Judah, stood for truth when everyone else was against him. Caleb is one of only two of all the people who came out of Egypt who was allowed to enter the Promised Land.
David the King was of the tribe of Judah, as well as Solomon his son and other kings who followed after GOD, such as Hezekiah, Josiah, and Zerubbabel. Of the 12 tribes of Israel, only Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to the line of King David.
When the children of Abraham where taken captive to Babylon, four notable children of Judah stood out. They were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, also known as Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. When they were still only young men they were willing to risk their lives rather than eat food that GOD had commanded them not to eat. As an adult, Daniel, when forbidden to pray, was thrown into a lion's den and preserved by an Angel. The other 3 were thrown into a furnace when they refused to bow down to an idol. They were kept from burning because the Messiah himself stood there with them.
When Jacob was giving his blessing to Judah he also stated that all his brothers would praise him and bow down to him, and that "the scepter, or kingship, should not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh, or the Messiah comes, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people." The Bible also states that out of Judah would come the Chief Ruler. These prophecies have come true. The Messiah was born to this earth from the tribe of Judah about 2,000 years ago during the time of Herod the last king that Israel has ever had.
